R

esidents of Menteng, Central Jakarta, staged a protest on Thursday against a road gate erected by the British Embassy, which they said restricts their access to their own neighborhood.

Menteng residents parked their cars near the British Embassy on Jl. M.H. Thamrin to protest five new road gates set up by the embassy as security check points.

The parked cars made it difficult for embassy staff to enter the embassy compound, prompting police officers from Menteng Precinct to come to the area, kompas.com reported.

One of the residents, Sabam, said the road gates had inconvenienced Menteng residents.

“I have parked my car in the middle of the street because we have had enough of the current situation. We have filed a formal complaint and have staged a protest but the security road gates are still there,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Another resident, Rudy Pamaputera, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1975, said that the road gates had blocked Menteng residents from entering Jl. Sudirman and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

“The road gates should be illegal. When we asked the embassy about the permit for the road gates,
they weren’t able to produce one,” Rudy said.

City Transportation Agency head Udar Pristono said the city administration did not have the authority
to dismantle the gates, as that lay in the hands of the Foreign Ministry.

“We have sent a letter to the ministry so that they can ask the embassy to remove the road gates. The gates were installed by the embassy and the embassy should coordinate with the ministry to settle the matter,” Pristono said.

Menteng Precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Didi Haymansyah said at the protest that the police could not force the embassy to remove the road gates nor drive the protesters away.

“We are caught in the middle,” Didi said.

Didi suggested that both sides meet to discuss the issue.

Contacted separately, British embassy spokesperson Faye Belnis said the British Embassy had always paid attention to the needs of local residents.

“I can confirm to you that the Embassy are always careful to take into consideration the concerns and interests of neighbors in conducting Embassy business. However we do not discuss about our security arrangements,” Belnis said in an email sent to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Earlier, the City Council called on foreign embassies, including the United States’ and the United Kingdom’s, to remove their road barriers because they inconvenienced residents and motorists.

The embassies have said the barriers are crucial to deterring terrorist attacks.